Why Is Ruth Bader Ginsburg Important

Small But Mighty

Every so often a person is born who will change the course of a nation. Ruth Bader Ginsburg was such a person. Born in New York in March of 1933, Bader Ginsburg grew up in a world where women were expected to be homemakers. She lived through several tumultuous periods of history and also was a witness to American triumphs, some she even helped to bring about. As only the second woman ever appointed to the Supreme Court, Ruth Bader Ginsburg changed the social landscape of America. The United States Postal Service should honor Ruth Bader Ginsburg on a stamp because of how she overcame obstacles, excelled in her law career, and the lasting effects her work has had on the nation. Ruth Bader Ginsburg had to overcome many obstacles

To start, she used the challenges she faced as a woman in the workforce to work for change. When Justice Ginsburg was working at Rutgers School of Law, she found out she was pregnant with her second child. The custom at the time was for women who were pregnant to quit their jobs. Bader Ginsburg recognized that this was discriminatory, but she also understood that it wasn’t a battle she was likely to win against the college; her solution was to keep her pregnancy a secret, but she also begane to think about how to change this discriminatory practice (Levy 117). In addition, society was beginning to change and women across the country were speaking out about discrimination they were experiencing. Bader Ginsburg was in tune with the evolving world and started a class in 1970 called “Women and the Law” which focused on sex discrimination (Creager 21). This was the first of its kind, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg used her experiences and the experiences of others to try and change the system that was causing the discrimination in the first place. The case that set her on the path to becoming a Supreme Court Justice came about because a single, unmarried man was trying to write off a caregiver for his dying mother. The claim was denied because “men weren’t care givers”. Justice Ginsburg saw this as her opportunity to make real change in discrimination. She argued, and won, her

Muhammad Ali was one of the most influential sports figures at the time, and he used his position in sports to fight for equality. To start, he protested against the draft in Vietnam and pointed out that the draft process was unfair because rich, white men could get out of service, while the poor and people of color were more likely to be unable to get out of service (“UofL Libraries: Muhammad Ali: A Transcendent Life: Social Justice and Civil Rights Icon”). People will argue that his protest brought light to the inequality in the country, so he should be honored. While that is true, Ruth Bader Ginsburg took steps to fix the system that was broken, not just point it out. Both Bader Ginsburg and Ali worked for equality, and both deserve to be honored in their own ways, but Justice Ginsburg should be honored with her image on a stamp from the United States Postal